湄公河博彩峰会

Geographically located between the two Asian giants, China and India, the Mekong region is one of the most dynamic regions in Asia in terms of the speed of economic growth and regional connectivity.

On the brink of brand new gaming legislation, Cambodia has seen an explosion in its casino industry, with about 184 licenses having been issued, around 100 of those in the past year alone.

Rising tourism numbers, especially from China, have been a key driver of Cambodia’s impressive economic growth, but also a flood of foreign direct investment under Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative.

The new rules should provide more transparency and improve confidence for investors.

Held in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, this conference is ideally timed to give you the insights needed to evaluate investment opportunities and meet partners in Cambodia, as well as the surrounding nations of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

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Cambodia has now come of age as a preferred destination for operators and players coming from South East Asia and East Asia. It is also Indochina’s undisputed king of live dealer gaming, with land-based casinos rushing to install dedicated set-ups to stream action from gaming floors to online players.

Cambodia has witnessed an explosion in casino gaming of late – and it shows little sign of subsiding. Despite the fact it’s illegal for Cambodians to gamble, the country has a booming casino market, attracting gamblers from across Asia.

China is now easily the country's leading source of tourists, overtaking Vietnam as the leading source of tourism to Cambodia. In 2017 visitation increased 50 percent year-on-year, and was up a further 79 percent in the first four months of 2018, with 1.27 million visitors from China.

Meanwhile, tourism arrivals to Vietnam also increased by more than 12 percent in the first half of 2018, and experts say the outlook for one of the region’s most promising gaming markets remains positive.

There are plans for three economic zones in Vietnam - one in the center, one in Van Don in the far north and the other at Phu Quoc in the south. Both Van Dong and Phu Quoc are home to large integrated resorts under development, which will be part of a pilot scheme to allow locals to play in casinos.

Da Nang airport (which was completed in 2017), is expected to handle 13 million passengers in 2020, plus there are upgrades to roads and an increase in the number of hotel rooms.

The World Bank also estimates that the economies of Laos and Myanmar will grow by around 6.5 percent, with Thailand expected to post 4.1 percent growth, the fastest pace since 2012.

Sensible land administration, natural resources management, environmental sustainability, good governance, and political stability are key to maintaining this growth rate and investor confidence.